Preview: Dragons v Ospreys
The Dragons will be boosted by the return of Danny Lydiate to the side on Friday as the Men of Gwent take on the Ospreys in the LV= Cup.
The Dragons will be boosted by the return of Danny Lydiate to the side on Friday as the Men of Gwent take on the Ospreys in the LV= Cup.
Steve Jones will play at hooker with Cross Keys hooker Lloyd Burns providing cover on the bench as captain Tom Willis is rested.
Martyn Thomas starts at full-back as Jason Tovey moves to fly-half.
Meanwhile, Steve Tandy makes his 100th appearance for the Ospreys, becoming the 11th player to reach a century of Ospreys caps.
“Our options for this game have been enhanced by Wales allowing four players to come back to us,” said coach Jonathan Humphries on the team selection.
“In the case of Shane (Williams) and Adam (Jones), it is clear that they need more game-time after lengthy spells on the sidelines, while the likes of Tom (Prydie) and Kristian (Phillips) were always penciled in for involvement this weekend so we are happy to welcome them back.
“At the other end of the scale, we have Steve Tandy making his 100th appearance for the region and captaining the team for the first time.
“One of the original Ospreys, Steve has been, and continues to be, a tremendous servant to the region, and along with the likes of Andy Lloyd and Sonny Parker will have an important part to play over the coming weeks as one of the senior players in the group.”
Form: This match is only the second all Welsh tie in the history of this competition, following the 2006/07 semi-final between Ospreys and Cardiff Blues at Millennium Stadium.
Newport Gwent Dragons are on an unwanted run of six successive defeats in all competitions since their 30-14 victory over Leinster at Rodney Parade in the Magners League on 6 December. Dragons' only win in their last four games in the LV=Cup was 20-9 at home to Sale in round one this season. Ospreys' only reversal in their last seven matches was 7-27 at Clermont Auvergne in the European Cup on 16 January. Ospreys have lost their last four encounters in the LV= Cup, but have won six of their last seven games against fellow Welsh regions. The last four meetings between the two sides have all been won by the home side on the day, whilst Ospreys only previous win at Rodney Parade was 27-13 in the Magners League on 8 May 2007.
Dragons: 15 Martyn Thomas, 14 Will Harries, 13 Matthew Watkins, 12 Ashley Smith (c), 11 Aled Brew, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Wayne Evans, 8 Grant Webb. 7 James Harris, 6 Gavin Thomas, 5 Hoani MacDonald, 4 Adam Jones, 3 Pat Palmer, 2 Steve Jones, 1 Ali Mckenzie.
Replacements: 16 Lloyd Burns, 17 Aaron Coundley, 18 Ben Castle, 19 Rob Sidoli, 20 Danny Lydiate, 21 James Leadbeater, 22 James Arlidge, 23 Richard Fussell.
Ospreys: 15 Barry Davies, 14 Kristian Phillips, 13 Sonny Parker, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Gareth Owen, 9 Jamie Nutbrown, 8 Tom Smith, 7 Steve Tandy (c), 6 Ben Lewis, 5 Ian Evans, 4 Andy Lloyd, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Ed Shervington, 1 Ryan Bevington.
Replacements: 16 Marc Breeze, 17 Craig Mitchell, 18 Cai Griffiths, 19 James Goode, 20 James King, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Matthew Jarvis, 23 Tom Prydie.
Date: Friday, January 29
Venue: Rodney Parade
Kick-off: 19.30 GMT
Referee: Greg Garner